Fragmented Grey (Working Title)
by Moonlite Star
Summary: [RoL Sequel] Max and Alec are now commanders of the best two units, requiring them to conduct missions all around the world. Max is still planning an escape for her unit, but as they continue to complete missions, things become more complex as she starts to recognize the loyalty some have for Manticore, including Alec. How will she convince everyone? Renfro, Lydecker, Brin, Jondy
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Hey everyone! For those of you reading this for the first time, this story can be read without reading the prequel, Reins of Leadership, but Reins of Leadership is worth reading for the history of several original characters. I also think it's one of the best works that I've published, but I guess that is not a reason to read it.

To those of you who have read Reins of Leadership and are looking for the sequel, here it is...after nearly 5 years (sorry for the delay everyone!) As you may guess, life got in the way. It also took some time figuring out exactly what I wanted to write about. I haven't written too far ahead, as my time is much more limited now, so I'd like to see how much interest there is in the sequel. if you're still interested in finding out more about what happens after Reins of Leadership, please leave a review and let me know! Based on interest, I'll continue to update.

Also, if you would like to nominate a country for a mission in this story, please do so in a review. There will be a handful of missions that will take place all over the world. I haven't quite decided which countries, so I'm open to ideas!

I may be looking for a few beta readers. If you're interested, please PM me, or mention it in a review.

The title is also a working title. I may change it later.

Thanks!

* * *

**Prologue**

**Undisclosed Location, Middle East – 2020 (Right before Reins of Leadership)**

A shot rang through the air, sending a scout down. X5-600 did not need to move any closer to know that 271 was gone. Not even transgenics could survive headshots. How could they have not seen the sniper? More importantly, how did the enemy know they were coming? The enemy was prepared for them. Their plan would no longer work.

600 had seen tough odds, but this was new. Often times, Manticore had the advantage. Often times, things went according to plan. Up until now, he had never had his plan foiled so quickly – before the mission began. But Manticore training pushed through, and he acted quickly to the sudden change in events. Through a series of quick hand signals, he told several of his troops to retreat. A smaller group moved forward, but away from the sniper's likely line of fire. As the commanding officer of Unit 8, he was responsible for getting everyone out in one piece. This would have to work.

600's earpiece cackled briefly, which he found odd. Command did not communicate with them until a mission was over, especially while in enemy territory. A few seconds later, it cackled again and echoed two numbers. "4-6."

Everyone on the team heard it, and the group 600 just sent forward looked back at their commanding officer, knowing this situation was...unique. Without hesitation, a new series of orders were given: Retreat. Rendezvous at Point Delta. Their mission had been compromised. They could only hope that their enemy did not intercept Command's message and understand its meaning.

A few minutes later, the sound of a missile fired from a rocket launcher was heard spiraling in their direction. Unit 8 quickly scattered, diving into cover. By the time all of them were running towards the rendezvous point, gunshots could be heard, and very faintly, they could make out their enemies at a distance. There were a lot of them, and they were vastly outnumbered. This normally wouldn't be a problem if they had the advantage of stealth, but today was no such day, and the heat-sensing turrets would prove troublesome.

114 blurred, zigzagging in between trees in a circular direction to pick up 271. Manticore would not want any soldier left behind, and everyone counted on him to retrieve the fallen. He was the fastest on the team. 409 tossed a few grenades to provide 114 some cover while 321 fired off a few rounds from his MP-99, taking down a few enemies approaching their location. To his surprise, a few minutes later, the injured soldiers stood right back up, advancing towards them. 321 continued shooting, slightly annoyed now, and aimed a few careful head shots instead, hoping it was enough to take them out, forever. Fortunately, it worked. 261 was waiting for them a few feet ahead, taking out some approaching enemies as she hid behind a large boulder and provided cover fire. She learned from 321 - aim for the head.

591 had never had such a challenge before. He was now cursing himself for choosing the slowest sniper rifle that Manticore had available. To his credit, it did have a higher magazine than the other options, but it was still ridiculously slow considering the number of enemies he was trying to pluck off. As most of his teammates got out of the killzone, he started packing up his stuff and headed towards the rendezvous point to join them.

600 was heading towards the rendezvous point when he saw 056 take a bullet to the leg. 356 and 705 quickly rushed to help him, but they too were gunned down. He turned his attention to the turret that had been hidden in the trees and aimed a grenade in its direction. A loud explosion later, 600 was by the 3 fallen transgenics and assessing their wounds. 356 had a bullet go through her shoulder and kidney while 705 had a one in her thigh and arm. He quickly helped 705 up.

783 saw the three fallen and went to help out, providing 056 and 705 support so they could walk. 600 picked up 356 and blurred to the rendezvous point. It was only a few hundred meters away. As he neared, he saw Manticore forces waiting for them, some of which had been sent out to help with the fallen and provide cover fire. He knew he could count on Command. He gently placed 356 down and allowed the medics to treat her. 600 then headed back to look for others in his unit that were in trouble.

When all of Unit 8 had arrived to the rendezvous point, they headed home. Those with more severe injuries were airlifted first. The others boarded hummers, protected with bulletproof windshields.

600 looked further into the distance as a helicopter pulled away from the site. Smoke rose to the sky in the distance, making it clear the damage that had been inflicted on the compound.

He replayed the scene in his mind, trying to figure out what went wrong. It was his fault 271 died. He should have seen this coming. How did the enemy know? What did he do wrong?

He felt a slight sense of guilt for leading his unit into what seemed like a death trap, but that feeling was pushed aside as his Manticore training surfaced yet again. He was a soldier. Emotions make a soldier weak. Emotions are forbidden. What's done is done. There was nothing more he could do. His team tried its best to overcome the odds. They were just better.

600 considered that thought. Manticore soldiers were supposed to be the best. The trainers kept reminding them of that. How could this happen?

**Director's Office, Manticore**

600 stood at attention in Renfro's office for debriefing. He was not happy with the results of the mission, and he could tell Renfro wasn't happy either.

"At ease 600. Unfortunately, we received new intel shortly after you deployed. The enemy had been tipped off to your presence by a rogue Manticore scientist."

"It's unfortunate we were not informed sooner." 600 knew not to question what happened. Command had a good reason for everything they did. It was not his place to ask. "My unit sustained severe injuries."

Renfro nodded. "Yes, I was informed. I'm sorry to hear that the enemy managed to make contact."

Renfro's words made 600 uneasy. It almost sounded as if it was his fault they did poorly.

"As a result of all casualties sustained, I'm pulling Unit 8 from active status. Those in your unit unharmed and qualified for solo ops will have assignments coming up to determine how much our enemy knows. What happened this mission cannot happen again. Those in your unit not qualified will be reassigned to help X6 units currently preparing for their SAP (Skills Assessment Period)."

"Yes, ma'am." 600 did not like this news. Inactive status usually was looked down upon, since it meant they would not be contributing to Manticore's overall mission. His unit would be disappointed.

"You are dismissed 600."

600 saluted and left. He first went to the infirmary to check on how his injured soldiers were doing. He could only hope that the director would give him a chance to prove they were quite capable of completing the mission had the enemy not been tipped off.

**Interrogation Room, Manticore**

"Johnson. I've been receiving reports about a secure Manticore channel distributing information about classified Manticore operations to interested parties listening on Russian servers. These servers were used to obscure signals originating from the Middle East. You wouldn't happen to know anything about them, would you?" the director asked.

The young scientist nodded frantically in hopes of persuading the director of his innocence. He had heard the rumors of several scientists that "accidentally" ended up in car accidents or suffered from heart attacks. He could only hope Renfro wasn't planning this for him. "No, ma'am. I'm unaware of any such activity, ma'am."

Renfro nodded, but she still did not believe the man. A few guards approached him and roughed him up, making sure he had a split lip before they left him alone again.

"It was under your account, with your credentials," Renfro began. "Surely you can provide some light on this topic."

The man was in tears now, scared for his life. "Please...I'm just a scientist...I have a family...I didn't do anything!"

"The evidence all points back to you," Renfro informed.

"I swear, it wasn't me! Someone must have hacked my account!" the scientist exclaimed.

"I'll give you some time to think about it," Renfro stated. "I'll be back."

Renfro exited the dark room, leaving the man to his thoughts. His sobs were silenced as soon as the door closed. She knew the man was innocent...but they needed a fall guy. Unfortunately for him, his performance had been less than satisfactory this past quarter. It would have to be him.

**Undisclosed location, Middle East**

"They came just as you said they would," a man began the phone call.

"Did you get what you needed?" a woman asked.

"No, they were too good. They got away before we got the chance."

"I see. There will be other opportunities, however."

"Of course. We had a deal."

"I'm aware. You owe me something."

"Not until I get what I want."

"That wasn't the deal."

"If I don't get what I want, you don't get what you want. It's simple."

"Be careful who you cross, Syed."

"I could say the same for you, Liz. We'll be in touch," Syed said, hanging up.

His desk was a mess, cluttered with paperwork accumulated from the past few months. After a few minutes of searching, he found what he needed. He quickly dialed the number on the sticky note.

**Johannesburg, South Africa**

Jacob stood before an arena, watching the Red Soldiers train. In the past few months, his team of scientists managed to increase the life span of the Red Series soldiers, but only by another 6 months. A few years ago, he heard rumors of a Project Manticore developed in the US. That rumor was later verified when he sensed Manticore soldiers operating in Africa: assassinations carried out to perfection - made to look like accidents. Manticore was developing a name for themselves, offering jobs for a low price, or even free, in an effort to demonstrate their supremacy. That was when the hunt began for Manticore technology. Jacob found it difficult to actually acquire any information, even with all the money he had to offer.

As it turned out, Manticore often got to the willing scientists before he had a chance. Then he found out about the '09 escapees. Unfortunately, those soldiers learned to escape and evade better than he could have expected.

His cell phone rang, pulling him from his thoughts.

"It's Syed," the caller introduced.

"Yeah?" the man said.

"The mission failed. Manticore soldiers pulled out before we had a chance. Are you sure we can trust Renfro?"

"I never said anything about trust. We just need to play along until we get what we need."

"And if she decides to break off our agreement? We can't beat them."

"Renfro won't waste time on us."

"We can't be certain."

"Don't worry about it. I have something of hers she doesn't want getting out."

"I hope you're right."

"Just get what we need."

**Direcotr's Office, Manticore**

Renfro placed the phone on the receiver after her call with Syed and called in a technician. "I need all the information we have on Syed Hussein - strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, current associations...everything!" Renfro ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," the technician replied with a nod. He quickly left to fulfill her request. Rumors of another scientist being kept in the interrogation room kept many of them on alert and wary of what they did. No one wanted to be next in line for questioning - very few returned from interrogation the same way, if at all.

A few minutes later, a transgenic arrived in her office from the psy ops division. _Perfect timing,_ Renfro thought.

"I need Mr. Johnson to believe he sent out a message on our secured channel and that he had contact with Syed Hussein," Renfro informed the transgenic. "He's currently in holding room C."

"Yes, ma'am," the transgenic replied. After a brief salute, the transgenic left the director's office and headed to the holding room. Over time, these manipulations became easy. It was like second nature. At the same time, it was getting a bit boring. Sometimes, she wished she could be out with the other soldiers running the obstacle courses. Instead, she spent most of her life indoors, in the sub basements of Manticore. Most of the time, it was dark and dreary. There were very few windows in the sub basements.

Every now and then, however, she has a chance to see sunlight. It just isn't often enough. Her main job is to handle interrogations or to rewire the brain to believe something that didn't happen. It wasn't always easy. Her earliest years at Manticore were filled with pain, guilt, and many punishments for not being able to do what they wanted. She has been more careful now to obey their wishes. She has no desire to return to those days and could only wonder what this poor guy did to receive such a sentence from the director.


	2. Dust to Dust

**Undisclosed location, Middle East, 2021**

Wind blew strongly, stirring sand from the ground. The sun was barely visible, hidden behind the tall buildings of the small city as it set in the west. In the far distance, a wall of sand could be seen approaching the town. Tri estimated they had another ten minutes before the sandstorm would arrive, providing the cover they would need to get into the compound.

"I spy...fifteen tangos, three patrolling north, three northeast, three west, two south, two east, and two west south west," Tri said, quietly speaking into a hidden mic. She turned from her post on the highest level of an adjacent compound. With the strong winds from the coming sandstorm, she found her dress quite annoying, occasionally restricting her movement as it wrapped tightly around her body. She wished she could be on the ground with the others, yet they insisted she would blend in well with the locals, so she would run recon and be their lookout.

When she reached the next corner, she pulled out her thermal goggles to search for hidden heat signatures. "Four...no five tangos, at the entrance. Sixteen scattered tangos before target. Six tangos - north room." The north room was where the mission objective would be. It was not going to be an easy task to go in quietly with all the manpower they had patrolling the perimeter and inside the compound.

Max hid in an alley at the corner of a marketplace. Her eyes remained locked on her team. Kev, Gai and Dart were strolling through the marketplace, casually admiring the cloth and exotic fruits on sale. Lydecker had told them it would be difficult, but he had certainly played down the difficulty when they were prepping. The compound had far more manpower than was justified, in her opinion.

Max looked up to another building, where Ammo, Nic, and Joy hid in a dark corridor adjacent to the building. They had finished setting up a makeshift zipline. Max knew they were ready to drop in quickly and quietly.

On the other side of the compound, she saw Viper, Fin, and Cody completing their zipline setup.

"How's the storm, 729?" Max quietly asked in her mic. She used Tri's designation, knowing Manticore would be listening and would ask questions if she used their given names.

Tri looked out into the distance. The sandstorm was at the edges of town. "ETA two minutes," Tri replied quietly.

Max was confident everyone was ready, yet she couldn't shake an uneasy feeling at the pit of her stomach. "This is it everyone. You know what to do. We've gone over this dozens of times, but don't forget - be prepared for anything. Something doesn't feel right." She counted them down.

At the end of the two minutes, everyone sprang into action as sand invaded the town. Radio silence would be maintained until the end of the mission. Nic and Viper's teams both entered the compound, dropping quietly from the cable they had set up at strategic points. Upon landing, the two teams blurred to known guard patrols and subdued them.

Max joined Kev, Dart, and Gai in the marketplace. She sent Dart and Gai to the other side of the compound. They would monitor events from the outside and be able to alert them should anything come up.

Shortly after, the doors to the main entrance of the compound opened. A convoy slowly came through with the departing VIP - right on schedule. Kev and Max blurred into the compound, uninterested in the departing weapons manufacturer CEO. The dust provided excellent cover, allowing them to enter unseen. The convoy had obviously also strategically determined the sandstorm was the best time to leave.

Relying on the dust to limit enemy visibility, Max and Kev quickly put on their thermal goggles to locate the enemy targets Tri had identified. Max and Kev split up, each taking a different side. On the east side, Max quietly subdued three unsuspecting guards, while Kev did the same for the two on her side. As they took off their thermal goggles, an enemy attacked them from above, falling onto Max. Max managed to block the strike and then kicked the attacker to the ground.

Max and Kev exchanged glances as the enemy stared them down. It was not human, whatever it was. Strangely, it reminded Max of the other creatures she had seen in Manticore's basements. This was not included in the mission intel. Something was definitely not right...

An alarm sounded as Kev threw a stun grenade at the creature. It leapt to the wall with surprising speed, landing sideways with its webbed feet and avoiding the grenade. It was a human-sized frog. Its mouth opened, and a large tongue shot out, aiming for Kev's arm just as she began reaching for her side pistol. Max blurred with an enemy rifle, intercepting the tongue's target. The creature's eyes widened slightly as its tongue returned with the large rifle, hitting it squarely in the head.

The creature fell off the wall, unconscious.

Kev eyed Max with a brief looked of gratitude for her interference. As they left the creature behind and headed deeper into the compound, their earpieces crackled briefly.

"We're under attack..." a voice on the other line shouted. "409's down! West corridor!"

Max and Kev both recognized Nic's voice and exchanged a glance of slight concern. They both knew he wouldn't break radio silence unless it was something important. "Go check on Viper's team," Max quietly said. Kev nodded and headed in the other direction.

A few minutes later, Max located Nic's team, pinned down by gunfire. She peered around the corner, seeing at least six guards closing in on them. That was more than their original estimate. Somehow, their heat signatures were masked, a technology she was told they did not have. She tossed a few stun grenades from her location, knocking out three soldiers in the first hit and two more in the second. Nic ducked out of cover, taking aim at the last one. A few seconds later, Max blurred over to Nic's team where they had been taking shelter behind a series of metal crates.

Joy had treated Ammo as well as she could, creating a tourniquet for his leg where two bullets had entered his kneecap. A long bandage encircled his neck and head. Bullets fragments could be seen on his torso, stopped by the kevlar vest he wore. Still, he was in bad shape, with a nasty graze to his neck and two hits to his head with no obvious exit wounds. Max aborted the mission, ordering Nic's team out.

"729, rendezvous at Point Delta with your team. We have a man down. I'm sending them to you. We're leaving," Max stated.

A faint white noise greeted her, a familiar sound that indicated their communications were being jammed, which caused even more frustration. Max had no doubt that the enemy had intercepted Nic's initial message and was now attempting to track their positions.

"Nic, get your team out of here. Go to Point Delta. I'll send Viper's team towards you. As soon as you get there, signal command for extraction and contact Tri to let her know what's going on."

"Yes, ma'am. Where are you going, Max?" Nic asked, with a mostly hidden tone of concern in his voice.

"I'm finding Kev and Viper," she told him. "I'll be fine, just get your team out. Now GO!"

Nic and Joy gave a quick salute. Nic pulled up Ammo in a fireman's lift and the two of them headed out of the compound, backtracking where they could to avoid opponents. Fortunately, the blueprints they had received of the compound were accurate, and they were able to locate an exit within a few hundred feet.

On the other side of the compound, Kev moved quietly, being careful to remain hidden. It didn't take her long to find Viper's team - just in time to prevent their capture. They had made it to the server room. A group of guards encircled them, tasers in hand. Kev noted this was a bit...strange, as they were ready for capture and did not intend to kill. It was clear they knew Manticore was coming for them. It was also clear they wanted Manticore technology, if that frog creature they encountered was any indication.

Kev released a small robotic creature, directing it to move to another corner of the room to create a distraction. From a distance, the robotic creature would appear like a grenade, gliding through the air before creating an explosion. This caused a few of the guards to run towards the suspected origin of the explosion amongst a group of crates in the far corner.

"Hands up! There's no way out!" an enemy soldier yelled as they approached the crates, guns drawn.

Kev blurred to knock out two of the three guards watching over Viper's team. Viper took out the remaining guard, snapping his neck seconds later. Fin and Cody acted quickly as well, reaching for the subdued enemy's weapons and taking out the three guards preoccupied with their non-existent invader behind the crates.

Once all the targets in the nearby area were eliminated, Kev quickly briefed the others on their situation. The enemy knew they were coming, and if they continued, they would be walking into a trap. Kev told them Ammo was down, and Max would send them to the extraction point. Kev instructed them to abort the mission and meet up with Nic's team at the extraction point. She also took their server room equipment so she could finish their task before leaving.

"Try to avoid new routes. Take routes that you have already been through and know potential enemy locations," Kev instructed.

With a quick nod, Viper's team took off for the extraction point. Kev headed towards the only console in the server room. She took out a small box before she began. The box would make a copy of everything on their systems. Her fingers moved quickly over the keyboard as she began what would be an easy hack. She disabled their security cameras first, erasing any footage that was recorded since their arrival. Then she disabled their perimeter auto gun turrets so they would only have to deal with live enemies. Finally, she disabled their communications jammer and initiated a virus to impair their communications intercept capabilities. Once Kev finished making a copy of their systems, she took the small box and securely pocketed it. She quickly logged out of the system, but not before overwriting their data servers with bogus data. That would keep them busy.

Kev moved quietly, hearing footsteps down the hall. The hall lights were blinking on and off as part of the facility wide intrusion alert. She saw three enemy soldiers at the other end of the hall, conducting a sweep. They were apparently responding to a call from the force that was now unconscious or dead in the server room.

Kev moved quietly, edging closer towards the direction from which they came. She doubted they would backtrack, and if they did, it would take them some time before they realized they should.

Max had nearly reached the north room, when a familiar voice spoke quietly into her ear. "Lines unjammed. Team Three headed to extraction. Mission abort! All teams to extraction point."

Max breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Kev's voice on the line and was informed Viper's team was fine.

Max checked to make sure no one was nearby before speaking quietly. "645, return to Point Delta for extraction." She did not want Kev coming after her.

Kev continued through the building. She crossed piles of bodies, killed from grenades and bullet wounds received from engaging with Viper's team in the initial attack.

"452, current location?" Kev asked. She wanted to make sure Max was planning on getting out in one piece.

Unfortunately, Kev was met with silence. Kev groaned, knowing Max had probably headed to the final room to complete the mission on her own. She turned down a corridor and quickly made her way to the north room. She noted the unconscious guards along the way, knowing this would be Max's doing. Only she refused to kill. The door to the north room was slightly ajar. Kev listened for sounds on the other side to determine what was happening. Her transgenic hearing could make out the barely audible sounds of people getting knocked out and choked.

Kev didn't understand why Max insisted on not using weapons. She thought it was a bit reckless of her CO, but she respected her decision. After all, she had proven herself extremely capable of using other non-lethal weapons to eliminate her opponents. After a moment of silence, Kev put on her thermal goggles to see if she could see any enemies. All the heat signatures in the room appeared to be lying on the floor, except one. She removed the goggles and quietly entered the room. Fortunately, the north room had its own exit, which would make leaving the compound easy after the mission was complete.

She watched from a distance as Max began searching the room for the mission objective. According to Lydecker, the canister they were trying to find would be in a briefcase. Lydecker also said it was stolen Manticore technology, an unfortunate side effect of the failed Unit 8 mission from the year before. Seconds later, Max found the briefcase and picked it up. She headed towards the exit. She tried the door, but found it impossible to move, even though she had already unlocked it. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the welded metal. It had been purposely sealed.

Footsteps rapidly approached, and seconds later, two guards appeared at the doorway, weapons drawn.

"STOP!" the guard cried, yelling out to Max. "DROP IT!"

Max placed the briefcase down and held her hands up. Kev quickly ducked into the shadows, knowing they wouldn't see her in her current location.

As they approached Max, brandishing tasers, Kev came up behind the guards and silently knocked them out. Max was a bit surprised to see Kev, but they could talk later. Right now, they would need to get out.

Max grabbed the briefcase and peeked out the door, checking both directions to make sure they were clear. Kev followed closely behind, holding her pistol steady.

The two silently crept through the hallways, with Max leading the way to the nearest exit. Their earpiece crackled briefly.

"I don't know how, but they knew our rendezvous location. We've been ambushed! We need backup!" a voice said through their earpieces.

Viper's team was in trouble. "We're about two miles from Point Delta."

Nic immediately responded. "I'm coming to get you. Extraction will be in fifteen minutes, as soon as the sandstorm passes."

Max sighed. "321, stay put. I need you to make sure nothing happens to 409." She really hoped Nic would listen. She did not want Joy watching over Ammo on her own.

"261 is watching over him," Nic replied.

"321, stay put. We can't afford the risk. 536, with your team, head to 863's location to provide assistance. I will be there ASAP." Dart's team should be able to assist Viper, and should have already been heading towards the extraction point. They would be closer than Nic and therefore able to respond faster.

When Max and Kev arrived at an exit, Max shoved the briefcase into Kev's hands. "Take this to the extraction point and watch over Nic's team. That's an order," Max said.

Kev could hear the seriousness in her tone and knew her CO was not exactly happy that she'd disobeyed her first order. "Yes ma'am," Kev answered quietly.

Kev opened the door to check it was clear. The two of them exited the compound without another word. Max headed towards Viper, while Kev headed directly to the extraction point.

Max blurred, not wanting to waste any time. Time could cost her another soldier. She ran and ran until she reached the remainder of her team.

Dart's team had managed to join Viper's team, but not before Viper's team sustained two injuries. Viper had taken shelter behind an abandoned shed nearby, where Fin and Cody were lying with severe injuries.

"Don't die on me, dammit!" Viper kept yelling at her teammates. "We're almost there!"

Tri fired a rocket launcher from the trees, taking out a group of soldiers further away. Dart fired from the other side of the shed, using it as cover. There were not many targets left by the time Max arrived. She frowned slightly upon seeing her downed soldiers, but the sound of a sniper rifle quickly diverted her attention.

The thud that followed coming from Tri's location had her in action. She tossed a few smoke grenades to obscure their movements. Max wouldn't let them take down anyone else.

"Let's go. The extraction chopper should be here now. Dart, take Tri. Gai, take Cody. Viper, provide cover fire, and I'll get Fin. We gotta move!"

The X5s ran towards the extraction point as fast as they could. None wanted to think about the casualties sustained on this mission.

As their extraction chopper arrived, Kev reached the clearing where Nic's team waited. With the help of Manticore's medics on board, they lifted Ammo onto the chopper with a stretcher. Nic and Joy got on the chopper as well, keeping an eye out for enemy movement. Kev followed, keeping her weapon ready.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team emerged from the small town. The medics quickly pulled out a few more stretchers to take the wounded aboard the chopper. Everyone else climbed aboard shortly after. A few enemy soldiers emerged, attempting to chase them, but they were easily gunned down by Nic and Kev, who had taken hold of the chopper's side gun turrets.

Max looked out at the destruction they had caused. Piles of sand covered the town...some probably covered a few bodies as well. She glanced briefly at the injured she had failed to save. A cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. This mission was very real...as were the consequences.

The fast moving aircraft did little to console her. Alec had mentioned that Manticore vehicles were the most advanced on the market. This particular chopper was built to reduce their flying time by half, at least, compared to the aircraft built a decade ago. The chopper would take them to an airfield where a cargo jet waited to take them back to the Manticore facility.

Max knew they couldn't stay in Manticore, especially if it cost more lives. They had to get out...they had to leave...together. Her thoughts drifted back to three weeks ago, before all this darkness started...before it all began.

**Lydecker's Office, Manticore - 3 weeks ago**

A familiar figure appeared at the door and scanned the room. His eyes lit up with interest as he watched the transgenics scattered around the rec room, especially when he found the two he was looking for.

"494...452, in my office, now," Lydecker ordered.

Max and Alec heard the Colonel arrive, but they didn't really register his presence. The two exchanged glances and quickly left the room, wondering what the Colonel wanted. They could only hope that it wasn't about their...affections for one another.

Lydecker had read the rumors noted in Max's file by Renfro concerning her relationship with 494, but Renfro had indicated there was no evidence that anything was really going on between them, so he had dismissed it. After all, he hadn't suspected that Max would fall for a Manticore soldier...but who was he to judge? He withheld a smile as he led them back to his office. 494 was one of their finest soldiers, and Max had rapidly become one of Manticore's best soldiers as well. They were a perfect match, but would their affections for one another affect their field performance?

Max and Alec stood at attention while Lydecker seated himself at his desk. He put on his reading glasses to skim some documents on the desk. They both knew he had seen them together, cuddled up on the couch and clearly quite comfortable with each other when he called them to his office. They both knew rumors were circulating about their relationship, rumors heard even by the Director – all because of the damn breeding program.

They both knew Manticore frowned upon relationships and that Lydecker enforced Manticore's official policies.

What they didn't know was that Lydecker didn't care – not today, when greater things were at stake.

"At ease soldiers."

The two transgenics simultaneously switched to the less rigid military posture. Their Manticore masks were still intact, neither allowing their faces to show the anxiety they felt.

Although Max consciously believed she didn't fear Lydecker anymore, the more she stayed at Manticore, the more she realized the power he held over her life, and subconsciously, the courage she once felt when face to face with the man had begun to diminish.

"So I see the rumors are true," Lydecker began in good humor. He took off his reading glasses now and looked at the transgenics before him.

"Rumors, sir?" Alec questioned, feigning ignorance.

Lydecker smiled slightly as he clarified, "Don't tell me you haven't heard, 494. There's a rumor circulating about a relationship between two X5 soldiers, who conveniently happen to be in my office at this very moment." He paused briefly for effect. His sharp eyes noticed the slight unease visible in their transgenic posture. "I shouldn't have to remind you that soldiers are not allowed to have relationships. Emotional attachments are known to make you weak."

Alec and Max were silent, their masks still in place, but as Lydecker glanced over to Max, he recognized the defiant look in her eyes, as well as a clear warning. However, even Max knew in the end, Lydecker could choose to do whatever he wanted with this discovery, and she would be unable to stop him. This was his territory.

Lydecker chuckled to himself now, pleased that she was playing her part well. Perhaps she still did fear him and just didn't know it. He decided to break the silence. It wouldn't hurt to get to know Manticore's best soldier. "So, what did you name him, Max?"

Alec couldn't hide his surprise this time as the colonel referred to Max by her name. Max glanced at Alec, clearly annoyed that the colonel kept doing this. He switched rather easily from formal to informal, and it confused the hell out of her. She hated him for it, and she knew he knew it, which was the only reason he continued to do it. It was his way of casually displaying the power he held at Manticore.

"His name's Alec," Max explained. "As in smart aleck, sir." The formality had a clear tone of mockery behind it.

Lydecker ignored it and nodded in approval of the name. "Take a seat Max...Alec."

Alec gave Max a look of confusion mixed with annoyance. He wasn't pleased that she had explained the reasoning behind the name. Max just grinned. As Alec took a seat, his anxiety only escalated; he had never had such an informal meeting with Manticore personnel, especially with someone as high ranking as the Colonel.

"I didn't call you in here tonight to discuss your relationship, but you ought to practice a bit more discretion," Lydecker advised. "Especially when so many soldiers look up to you." Both of them knew he wasn't talking about just their unit, but all of Manticore. That was the price for being at the top – they were always expected to be perfect role models. Lydecker couldn't help but notice the ever so slight display of relief in the two transgenics. "If things get out of hand, however, something will be done about it," he added casually, just so that he wouldn't be letting them get away with it completely.

"Yes, sir," the two replied, acknowledging they understood.

Lydecker nodded and continued, "Manticore has been tasked with a new long term mission. Due to its complexity, Units 6 and 9 have been assigned to handle planning and implementation. Unit 4 will take part as well, but not until they get back from another upcoming mission they have been assigned."

The two nodded in understanding, realizing he had called them in for a mission briefing.

"Since the turn of the new century, China has been an emerging superpower. After the Pulse and the US loss of power, China took its place and has steadily attained global dominance. Through the building of international dependencies and continued economic growth in spite of the fall of the American economy, China has remained the only country capable of sustaining the world market. Although they have done many things to help rebuild the world economy, western leaders remain wary of their intentions, especially following their recent involvement in African conflicts. Recent intelligence reports indicate a growing relationship between Chinese government officials and various new African leaders. Manticore doesn't give a damn that the Chinese are making new friends, but we do care that they've developed an increasingly strong relationship with the South Africans and have even started trading technology...technology that would be in our best interest that they not acquire."

"Don't tell me we're getting involved with the Reds again," Max blurted. She really did hate those guys.

Lydecker shook his head. "Fortunately, no, we're not, but they are indirectly involved. I traded early Manticore technology with them a while back. It's come to our attention recently that they have handed that off to the Chinese. This alone is not a great threat; however, after a series of intelligence gathering missions, we have reason to believe that what they have acquired is only a small part of their overall plan."

Lydecker paused briefly to pull out some files to show the two transgenics.

"Unit 8 was on a mission about a year ago - a mission that did not end well. The mission was meant to disrupt terrorist activities in the Middle East. Although the majority of the unit was only injured, two were killed during that mission when a chopper went down. When a team was sent to retrieve the bodies of the fallen X5s, the bodies were missing and couldn't be located. Scattered tracks were found, but there was nothing that led to anything conclusive. Still, we believe that someone else had taken them, knowing our X5s were on that chopper. Although an investigation was launched to find the X5s, all the leads resulted in dead ends. A few weeks ago, however, we received some vital intel that led us to a possible location where the bodies are being stored. We have limited intel on the people in charge of the facility, but there are people working on acquiring more details as we speak. Unit 4 will conduct a recon mission on this facility in a few days to gather more details as well.

"Once we have enough information, we will be able to launch a recovery mission to retrieve our soldiers. In the meantime, I want both units to work together in planning some missions to solve other pieces of this puzzle that recent intelligence reports have uncovered. The mission goals have been outlined in these documents. I want your proposals by Friday at 1500."

The transgenics skimmed the documents before returning their attention to the colonel. There were a lot of objectives; they would need to sort through all the information before they could plan anything. The first priority seemed to be a canister filled with stolen Manticore nanotechnology. Recent reports indicated its location as in the Middle East.

"No questions then?" Lydecker asked.

"No sir," both transgenics replied.

Max and Alec stood to leave and gave a small salute before heading out. It had been a while since Max had had a meeting with Lydecker in his office. The events of the Skills Assessment Period (SAP) had kept her quite occupied. She never really thought about what would happen after SAP. It had all started as a challenge from Alec – beat his unit. Of course, it didn't end up that way – Alec's unit still came out on top, but it did motivate her and her unit to do well. And in the end, it paid off. They did reach the top, placing right under Alec's unit, even though the odds were stacked against them. They were now one of Manticore's best units.

Max had to credit Renfro for that. If it weren't for Renfro, she wouldn't be in this mess. Renfro thought giving Max a unit would make her feel responsible for them, and the bitch was right. Unit 9 became something. They established the camaraderie needed to become successful. United by the odds stacked against them, they pushed through and shone. They also made Max want to stay.

There was also that guy she had met. The cocky, arrogant smart aleck that had been a thorn in her side since the day she rejoined the others on the training grounds. Alec…yes Alec. The guy that helped her through this mess and was always there for her when she needed him. He also made Manticore…bearable.

Then Lydecker came back, taking over Renfro's position. Apparently Renfro had pissed off the people at the top. Max still hated Lydecker, but he made her a promise…a promise she wanted to believe was real. He would no longer hunt the 09ers, if she stayed at Manticore and led Unit 9. It seemed a small price to pay…for her brothers and sisters' freedom.

So now, she was stuck in Manticore, tasked to plan and implement a mission for them. Yet…it didn't seem so bad. The meeting she'd had with Lydecker also ended on a positive note. Maybe Manticore had changed since she escaped, or maybe now, she was just seeing a different side of it. She wasn't sure which the case was. Or maybe Manticore had successfully brainwashed her, but she did not wish to believe that was true. Still, she couldn't explain this new willingness to stay at Manticore. That wasn't to say she didn't have hopes of being free, but she could no longer go alone – not after all the attachments she had formed. Damn Renfro…

* * *

**A/N**: Special thanks to Wholives4Eva for being my beta reader this chapter, as well as BT, who reviewed an early draft of this chapter. To all the readers who left a review - thanks for showing your support. It's great seeing familiar readers, as well as new ones! You all should be receiving a review reply from me! To all the readers who added this story or went back to read Reins of Leadership for the first, second, or x number of time, thanks for showing your continued interest and support for this story! I am very happy with the response I have received since uploading the prologue.

I hope you all enjoyed this action-packed chapter. I apologize that it is a bit...dark. It will set the story for the chapters to come!

Again, I'm still open to suggestions for future mission locations. I hope to be able to bring readers around the world with this story. If you have been somewhere or lived somewhere you would like to see them visit, let me know! Not all missions will be lethal in nature!

As always, please leave a review! I'll be sure to reply (as soon as the next chapter is posted)!

**Anonymous Reviewers:**

Br9 - Thanks for your reviews. I can assure you, Jondy will definitely reappear soon. :)

LucieS - Thanks for leaving a review. I'm glad you're still interested in this story!


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